Low energy buildings

ISSUES

Energy in buildings

Energy consumption in buildings
Buildings (heating, air conditioning, hot water, lighting, etc.) account for 40 % of the energy consumed in Europe. In France, it is the economic sector which consumes the most energy (2/3 in the housing sector and 1/3 in the tertiary sector); this represents almost 1 ton of oil per person per year and is the source of at least 21 % of the nation's cO2 emissions.
This consumption is experiencing a sharp rise. In France, it has increased by 30 % over the last 30 years due to the increase in the number of houses, in average occupied surface, increased comfort and the more widespread use of electricity.
Energy efficiency targets
The building sector could save large amounts of energy. According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), over a fifth of energy consumption and more than 45 million tons of CO2 could be avoided in Europe by 2010.
In the long term, it...

NEWS

White roofs are not a global warming silver bullet, study finds

Fuel poverty 'will claim 2,700 victims this winter'

'Smart' window switches to dark mode to save energy

Univers GoodPlanet par Netvibes

DEBATES

What Makes Europe Greener than the U.S.?

Elisabeth Rosenthal

The average American produces three times the amount of CO2 emissions as a person in France. A U.S. journalist now living in...

Photovoltaic (PV) energy payback vs PV input energy due to market growth

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Sustainable Building and Construction Initiative

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FOCUS

Consuming responsibly

The Drax power station is in the United Kingdom. It is the country’s most polluting power station and emits almost 22 million tons of CO2 a year. This is 2 million and a half times more than an ordinary British...

VIDEOS

30/08/2011	Over 14 years ago, the Aga Khan Planning and Building Service began a...	11/01/2011	A green roof can certainly make a building look nicer, but can it...
22/12/2010	At the 2010 American Geophysical Union (AGU) conference in San Francisco,...	11/08/2010	In a short, funny, data-packed talk at TED U, Catherine Mohr walks through...

GREEN TIPS

Transition towns

Several dozen towns in England and now in the United States, Australia and New Zealand have set up a...

INDICATORS

Carbon dioxide emissions
Renewable energy in the energy mix
Electricity use
Total Primary Energy Supply

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